He dreams of a future wherein farmers will get their dues and farmer suicides will be a thing of the past.

◊ By Tanushri Nandan

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Throughout his career as founder of Elcomponics Sales Pvt Ltd, a cable assembly manufacturing company, Satyendra Dwivedi harboured a secret desire—a pas­sion for farming. But what he thought would be a fulfilling experience left him disillusioned when he wit­nessed the harsh realities of conventional farming, pesticides et al.

He was shocked to see the volume of harmful chemicals used in main­stream farming and realised their havoc-wreaking effect on human health, as well as, on the environment. Disturbed by the poison in the food chain and its connection to the significant increase in the number of can­cer patients in the last few decades, Dwivedi was compelled to go the organic route.

Initially, his goal was to grow enough organic food for family and friends, but his larger commitment to organic farming and organic farmers eventu­ally led to the birth of Elworld Organic in 2016.

PRO-FARMER POLICY

Dwivedi firmly believes, “Kisan Swasth toh Desh Swasth,” (Healthy farmers equal a healthy nation) and that this end can be achieved only through organic farming. “I dream of a future where farmers earn the rightful due for their toil, farmer suicides are a thing of the past and farming as a profession gains the respect and recognition it so richly deserves,” says he.

“I dream of a future where farmers earn the rightful due for their toil, farmer suicides are a thing of the past and farming as a profession gains the respect and recognition it so richly deserves.”

Elworld’s mandate is to empower as many farmers as possible and motivate them to convert from chemical based farming to organic farming. Dwivedi and his associates are convinced that as more people forgo conventional foods, which have been treated with pesticides, the cost of production for organic foods will decrease, leading to spurt in demand.

He explains that farmers are weary about organic farming due to the longer gestation period required to yield profits. As incentive, Elworld Organic has developed a more farmer-friendly pricing model. “All our farm­ers get 15-30% higher prices than mandi rates or minimum support price. This is our way of motivating them and limiting reconversion to chemical farm­ing,” shares Dwivedi.

ELWORLD’S ORGANIC JOURNEY

Elworld Organic has its organic farm in Khair in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Today, the company has joined hands with more than 2,500 organic farmers—part of the Elgrow Farmers Association—hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.

On its farms, Elworld uses natural plant growth boosters such as Panchagavya and Jeevamrutha—both of which are prepared from cow excreta and other natural ingredients. To drive away pests, neem and butter­milk are used, which are environment friendly alternatives to poisonous pesticides.

Not just on the fields but off the farm also, Dwivedi and his team promote clean and healthy living. They’ve set up a solar-run organic food can­teen at their corporate office in Noida (UP), which caters organic meals to all employees.

Elworld’s organic product range spans more than 100 items, encompass­ing groceries (pulses, flours, spices, oils, cereals), dried fruits, health boosters and ready-to-eat snacks.

The brand’s offerings are avail­able across modern trade stores, as well as, on its native online store,

www.elworldorganic.com. Its range of health products includes amongst others, the best-selling Telangana Sona, a sugar free rice with low glycaemic index (GI) and high protein content—ideal for diabetic patients; yellow mustard oil (Kachi Ghani), which possesses numerous health ben­efits; and organic brown sugar, which is known to be nutrient-rich.

Elworld also imports specialty organic products directly from organic farmers of foreign countries. Medjoul dates are sourced from an Israeli farmers’ cooperative, almonds from a farmers’ group in Sicily, Italy; and extra virgin olive oil is imported from family-owned farms in Italy and Greece. Procuring directly from farmers and then selling directly to end-consumers allows these products to be sold at the lowest possible prices, without additional retailer charges.